Realization of loss

Loss is a phenomenon that all beings experience in life. Whether it is a loss of great or little significance just depends on how that individual handles the situation. After reading the short stories by Caribbean and African writers in Concert of Voices it is evident that a general theme in many of the stories is loss. Throughout these stories characters experience the loss of something that is of great importance to them. The deprivation of this thing causes a feeling of emptiness or incompleteness within a person, troubling them emotionally.
Loss is an inevitable occurrence found in everyday life. It is not something that tends to cause happiness when experienced. Once experienced, one must overcome this loss and move on with life. Personally, I can relate to this sense of having to "move on". Very recently one of my grandfather's passed away. I was very close to him. He was one of my most trusted friends in the world. The day of his death all my family and I waited by his bedside in the hospital until his last breathe was taken. The moment he stopped breathing it was as if I piece of me was torn out. Not physically, but in a mental way far worse than any physical pain could cause me. Within the last couple weeks I have come to the realization that my grandpa is not coming back. Although this hurts I know that I must move on in life with a "part" of me missing inside. Dwelling on this dreadful event is not going to make life easier for me to deal with as time passes by. It is almost clear that this is the approach that one must take to maintain sanity in a situation of